


dream how wonderful your life will be

by komhmagnus



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Characters Watching The Little Mermaid (1989), Domestic Fluff, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Prompt Fill, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-10-15 16:55:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17532599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komhmagnus/pseuds/komhmagnus
Summary: prompt: could you please do a fic where madzie calls alec and magnus "papa" and "dad" for the first time and they both get emotional???





	dream how wonderful your life will be

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Billy Joel's song Lullaby (Goodnight My Angel)

Madzie’s laugh is infectious and bubbly, like the fizz rising in a glass of champagne. Alec loves it--the sound, the warmth that fills him whenever he hears it, the way he can’t stop himself from joining in--and he knows from the gleam in Magnus’s eyes that he feels the same.

A smile hasn’t left Catarina’s face since she and Madzie arrived earlier that evening for dinner. It’s good to see, Alec thinks. Cat is always working so hard and pushing herself to help others, and then at the same time she’s taken on raising a little girl, a young warlock. If anyone deserves to smile, Alec thinks, it’s Catarina Loss.

 _Magnus, too_ , he amends as he takes in his boyfriend’s easy, relaxed smile. Magnus’s gaze is fixed on Madzie as he mouths along to the song playing in the movie they’d just started. Madzie giggles at his antics, making faces and twirling around the room.

“ _The Little Mermaid_!” she’d insisted when Alec proposed they watch a movie. Alec remembers this one, remembers Izzy being particularly fond of it when she was younger despite it being generally frowned upon for Shadowhunters to partake in mundane entertainment. It was one of the few luxuries their parents had afforded them growing up. Alec was always glad for it, but now he is especially grateful, seeing the exact same excitement Izzy had always held for the film in Madzie’s own expression.

“She loves mermaids,” Cat murmurs next to him on the couch. She’s smiling, watching Madzie and Magnus’s antics. “I think she feels akin to them.”

Alec watches Madzie’s bright smile as she collapses down onto the floor. “Because of her gills?” he asks quietly.

Cat nods. “I’m glad she doesn’t hate them. Too many of us grow up hating our marks. She deserves to love every part of herself.”

“We’ll make sure she does,” Magnus says, joining them on the couch. “And we’ll do everything we can to stop anyone or anything from taking that away from her.”

Madzie sits up and turns to them, a finger pressed dramatically to her lips as she shushes them. “You’re missing it!”

“Sorry, Sweet Pea,” Magnus whispers as they all return their focus to the movie.

Alec’s hand finds Magnus’s as they watch. His own focus has shifted to watching the reactions flitting across Madzie’s face--the joy, the anticipation, the disgust whenever Ursula’s on screen that has Alec laughing silently. She stands with a wide grin when the movie ends, laughing from Sebastian’s antics with the chef and happy ending of Ariel’s wedding.

Madzie’s grin falls so suddenly, replaced by a confused frown. “Do I have a dad?”

The question is directed at Cat, but all of them feel it like a child’s punch to the gut. Alec locks eyes with Magnus first, then Cat, and sees the same expression in both of their eyes. The same knowing and heartbreaking look that spoke of childhoods filled with loneliness and self-claimed identities. He squeezes Magnus’s hand, seeing the past flaring up behind his cat eyes. Magnus squeezes back, but his eyes are locked on Madzie, on her insistent frown.

“I’m sure you do, sweetheart,” Cat begins slowly, as if desperately unsure what to say. Alec supposes she is; he certainly doesn’t know. He doubts Magnus does, either. “The same way that I know you have a mom out there.”

Madzie’s frown intensifies. “But you’re my mom.”

“Of course I am, baby,” Cat says, holding her arms out. Madzie approaches slowly, letting Cat pull her into her arms and onto her lap. “But I wasn’t before I met you. We don’t know who your first mom and dad are, but you have me to be your mom now and forever,” Cat promises.

“But I don’t have a dad now and forever?” Madzie asks.

Cat opens her mouth to answer, but Magnus speaks before she can. “Would you like a dad, Madzie?”

She thinks for a moment, her face scrunching up. “I think so.” She looks up at Alec and Magnus with big eyes. “Can you both be my dads?”

Whatever Alec had expected, this certainly wasn’t it. He blinks, his mouth opening slightly, and he can see from the corner of his eye that Magnus is just as surprised.

Cat’s face morphs into fond amusement instantly. “What do you say, boys?” she asks. “Want a promotion from uncle to dad?”

Alec meets Magnus’s eyes, already knowing his own answer. He’s known for a while that he wants this. Maybe he didn’t plan for it with Madzie, but he wants _this_ , wants it with Magnus, wants a family of their own with laughter and smiles and all the love in the world that they can give. And maybe this isn’t exactly _that_. Alec knows they aren’t going to flat out _adopt_ her, knows this probably just means the title and more sleepovers and just loving her with everything in them (which he already does, anyways, thank you very much).

Magnus’s eyes are gleaming and gold and Alec knows he wants this, too. Wants this and _more_ , wants it just for them, one day. He gives Alec a little nod.

Alec turns back to Madzie. “I think that’s a great idea,” he says. He looks back at Magnus. “It’ll be good practice for the future, too,” Alec winks, his own smile mirroring his boyfriend’s.

“Yay!” Madzie squeals, jumping up to hug them. “I’ll call you Dad,” she says seriously, pointing at Alec. “And you can be Papa,” she adds as he hugs Magnus. “That way it won’t get confusing.”

Magnus laughs. “That’s very smart, Sweet Pea.”

“Mom?” Madzie asks as she pulls out of Magnus’s embrace. “Can I sleepover with Dad and Papa tonight?”

Cat smiles at them, and Alec knows she can see the emotion in both of their eyes. “I think that’s a great idea, but you have to ask them, too, silly.”

Madzie looks up at them with those big eyes again, and honestly, they couldn’t have said no to those eyes if they wanted to.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated <3  
> Find me on tumblr and twitter @banesapothecary!


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